


Not Bad At All

by DarchangelSkye



Category: Canadian Idol RPF, Canadian Music RPF, Music RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Animal Shelter, Inspired by Novel, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Social Worker, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, Written in 2007
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-17
Updated: 2010-08-17
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarchangelSkye/pseuds/DarchangelSkye





	Not Bad At All

Chris and the social worker were both stern-faced and silent the whole drive over, and by the time all the necessary papers were signed and lectures given, he knew he was in hell. If the constant barking and meowing from every kennel wasn't gonna drive him nuts, those women sure would, looking like NFL refugees and talking like drill sergeants.

Deciding on the lesser of two evils, he ducked into a small glass-doored room, its walls lined with blue kennels. He wasn't the only one in the room; someone had half their skinny body sticking out from a cubicle on the floor while a gray and white kitten nuzzled around their feet. _Hah, dirtbox duty,_ Chris thought, but all smugness disappeared as the person pulled their head out from the kennel. "Hi! Just looking around..." His voice trailed off as recognition struck, and he wasn't the only one.

Yep, Chris knew who this was. Tyler something-or-other who he shared a math class with, not that he noticed often, seeing as Tyler was possibly the least popular kid in school. Not that he was ugly or retarded or heaven forbid, ate Queerios for breakfast. He was just (if gossip was to be believed) a little too out of it and a little too- _good._ And in the social hierarchy, those made him a non-entity. _And now I've gotta spend the next three months working with him, great..._

"You used to be on the basketball team," Tyler said simply.

Chris bit his tongue to hold back sarcasm, replying instead with: "Yeah, I...guess I'm the new volunteer."

The kid picked up the kitten threatening to toddle away from him and smiled. "I've been here a year and a half; it's really relaxing working with the animals. You have any?"

"Um...a dog." _At least until six months ago when Dad forgot to lock the stupid gate,_ he mentally finished.

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound like you wanna be here."

Chris sighed, and he could already feel stress crease his brow. But it didn't surprise him the kid would be out of the social loop. "You might as well know. I got caught stealing a bracelet for a chick that dumps me anyway, and it was either three months of this or a court date with that Nazi judge Gawrelytz."

The kid's face was blank. _This is it,_ Chris thought, _here's where he goes into that moral superiority act and treats me like I'm garbage._

_Not that I'd blame him._

But Tyler only said, "Oh," and held the kitten out. "Could you keep her busy for a moment? I have to get the kennel ready."

Almost reluctantly, he took the fuzzball into his hands and close to his chest, knowing if she dropped, that'd be another trouble he didn't need.

The kitten merely looked at him with innocent blue eyes and waved a paw. Chris allowed a smirk on his face and scratched her belly. "OK, you're kinda cute," he muttered.

"Why, thank you," Tyler's muffled laugh came from the kennel.

Again Chris had to bite his tongue. _He's just making a crack, LaBelle, no need to take his head off for it._ But one law had to be laid down if he was gonna keep his sanity. "Look, kid," and Tyler pulled his head out again. "My rep's been damaged enough with getting caught and having this social worker and everything- I don't need this gig ruining me even worse. I better not hear anything at school Monday, y'hear?"

Tyler only said matter-of-factly, "Who would there be for me to tell?"

***

Chris kicked his locker shut, garnering him more looks in the hallway than usual. The arrest was still the talk of the school, even if it would never be in the papers. Sometimes he wished that would happen just so the public crucifixion would be over with already. Not community service with some space-cadet...

An all-too familiar giggle sounded and Chris whipped his head around. Great, as if this Monday wasn't bad enough... What other sight could it be than Kati, arm-in-arm with that art geek Doucette, flashing a bought-and-paid-for bracelet and a smug grin.

Why bother hiding his anger? He snarled as she disappeared, "Last time I try to impress a rich skank," and picked up his books for class.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, other students drew away from him as he stormed through the hallway. Just as he was thinking being ostracized maybe had its benefits-

"Oomph!" A tumble of books and two bodies, punctuated by student laughter.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" Chris growled with a bruised body and ego as he gathered his books.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-"

Oh, that couldn't be- He stood and looked down. The kid. Figures. Strike the last statement from the record, now Monday had gotten worse.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," Tyler mumbled and stood.

God, he really was weird. "Uh, yeah." A quick glance in hall told him most of the crowd had dispersed. Good, now to get away with some dignity intact.

"Hey, Chris!"

He turned his head. _If he says something like See you in class, man, I will snap._

"If you'd feel better working with the dogs, I can put in a word for you." And he looked like he really meant it.

Chris only walked to class.

***

True to his word, the next time Chris was dropped off at the shelter, Tyler was waiting outside the door with a shaggy dog on a leash. "Ms. Briggs said we could take him around the block. How's that?"

"Fine by me," Chris ruffled the dog's head and took hold of the leash as the social worker drove away. Whatever made a good impression on her.

The kid smiled as the group made its way down the road. "Wow, you're really good with animals."

Chris shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess."

"No kidding," Tyler continued as they turned a corner and the dog sniffed at the gravel. "It took me two weeks for him to get used to me. Ever thought about an actual job working with pets?"

"Uh, maybe," Chris half-lied and tugged a little on the leash to keep the dog on the path. One thing was for sure, the kid was a lot more talkative outside of school, especially if it was about something that obviously interested him. "I know the way back from here, you don't have to follow me."

Tyler shook his head. "I usually don't have to follow, but someone tried walking off with a dog last week so-"

"So I'm the least likely guy to be trusted, is that it?" Chris glared.

The kid drew away, looking once again as meek as he did in school. "No, it's just procedure."

OK, so there was no need to snap. Boy, did he suddenly feel guilty. "Sorry, kid. Force of habit."

He only shrugged, looking like it didn't matter when it probably did. Most likely eager to change the subject, he said, "Y'know, I heard Kati Durst and some other girl talking in English-" This definately got Chris' attention. Tyler a gossip eavesdropper, who would've known? "I don't know why you'd try to impress her," he continued dully. "She must have high standards. I wanted to ask her to the Spring Fling, remember that dance?"

Chris grunted. He hadn't gone, just drove around with guys from the team, beers in the backseat.

"Well, she just called me names and laughed in my face." He rubbed the side of his cheek, as if whatever Kati had said still stung him. "I dunno why I bothered. I thought she was pretty cute, but...she's not that nice."

_Oh, she's plenty nice enough,_ Chris thought, but was definately not saying that aloud. Tyler was obviously naive, no need for him to be the one to shatter his innocent view of the world.

He wondered why the kid would bother telling him about something anyone would find humiliating. But wasn't that what he himself had done the other day? In a strange way, it actually made Chris trust him.

***

Tyler's clumsiness apparently wasn't a one-shot accident. He roamed the halls with books huddled to his chest, eyes to the floor, and he tended to bump into anyone, not even caring if they gave him a nasty look. Chris watched this from the other end of the hall, half as he didn't want a repeat of the other day's crash, and half as- what, exactly? Some sort of casual observation? Whatever the case was, no, Tyler didn't really watch where he was going, and he didn't look like he cared.

Chris felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Greg, someone he hadn't seen much of since getting kicked off the team. A whispered, "You holding out OK, man?", and he sighed back.

"Could be worse, I guess."

Greg snickered and pointed down the hall as Tyler picked up a fallen book. "Yeah, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes could be your warden. There's a fate worse than death."

Once upon a time, Chris would've wholeheartedly agreed with such a comment right away, and even added a scathing remark of his own. But he only shrugged this time.

***

The dogs were secluded in larger kennels in a room away from the cats, but they were just as loud. As Chris opened up one coop to guide a dog back inside (with a fresh treat in its mouth, at that), he found himself asking the kid, "How do you put up with all of it?"

"Good earplugs, I guess," he said.

Chris had to snort. Who knew he actually had a sense of humor? "Nah, I meant putting up with everyone at school. Because..."

The kid grabbed more treats from a bin and started passing them to the other kennels. "You don't have to mince words, Chris. I know how the other kids feel about me, I know I'm not like them. I just do what I have to get by, that's all."

Chris raised an eyebrow much like Tyler had the first day. "You mean you don't care?"

Tyler dusted his hands on his volunteer shirt. "Hey, it's not my problem if they don't wanna know who I am. Besides, why would I hang around people not my type..." Did he actually look embarassed then? "Uh, present company excluded, of course."

Oh well, it was nice of him to say that.

***

When Chris was summoned to the office first thing Thursday morning, his first thought was, _Shit, now what?_ But for once he wasn't in trouble; there was a message from his social worker that she couldn't escort him to the shelter Friday, they knew he shared a class with Tyler Lewis who also worked there, would they mind going together instead? He reluctantly accepted, ever as he wanted to say _You noticed the kid? I'm impressed._

During the slow walk to class, some things clicked in Chris' mind that weren't all that apparent before. Sure, the shelter was better than juvie, but why that place in particular? Did the social worker know Tyler went there as well? Did she inform the school or did they tell her?

That had to be it. They had to leave him with someone better than him, who would set a good example for him.

"The kid's supposed to be my keeper," he muttered aloud. For some niggling reason he wasn't exactly sure he liked the idea.

***

The rest of the school day passed without much incident. The evening, however, was another story. It could've been just another dinnertime, eating lukewarm ravioli from the can and wondering when the hell Dad was gonna stumble home from Dugan's Place. At least he had the decency not to use the car this time. Chris patted the keys in his pocket and debated whether keeping him locked out wasn't that bad an idea...

A tapping at the front door sounded, much too polite to be Dad. What the hell?- Chris went to the door and unlocked it-

Tyler's presence was a little too much deja-vu, and judging from both their expressions, they knew it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not a little unkindly.

Tyler winced and looked to the bundle in his arms. "I was just dropping off your shirt," he meekly said and unfolded a dark blue top with "volunteer" stitched in the corner, just like the others had. "Ms. Briggs figured you'd look more..."

"Presentable?" Chris asked flatly.

The kid fixed his gaze not so much on Chris, but past him. "More or less."

Before Chris could even want to read into what was meant by that, he took the shirt. "Thanks anyway."

Tyler's blank expression stayed for a few more seconds before he apparently realized something. "See you tomorrow, man," and he carefully walked away.

Chris shut the door and leaned his back against it. What the heck could've made the kid space out this time?

And then it hit him. He wasn't exactly presentable (at least not in the way the kid was, the way that didn't want to make the hypothetical little old lady back away for their life), and neither was the inside of his home to the casual observer. Tyler must've put two and two together quickly.

_Well, he knows too much now. It's obvious he's too good to be a keeper for the likes of me._

***

The clanging of the noontime bell rang in Chris' head as he ducked around the back doorframe. Back there was the smoke pit, the parking lot, the soccer field, then the road to freedom. It was a risk, all right- someone with a record like his couldn't really afford to skip out- but it was better than the alternative, better than feeling trapped.

No better than a caged animal.

When he dashed by the parking lot, the sight of a red Chevy gave him another sense of deja-vu. Where had seen that car before...yep, parked outside the shelter. _Kid doesn't have bad wheels,_ Chris allowed himself to think before he kept on running. Seeing the kid, or anyone for that matter, was the last thing on his mind.

It wasn't a long time of running before he found himself at the park. Perfect spot to hide away from everybody, there was no one here at this hour except college kids on their lunch break and mothers with babies in strollers, nobody he had to be concerned about. But what could be the most out-of-the-way spot?...

Chris stopped to catch his breath and scanned the outskirts of the park. That section of rock certainly looked climable, there had to be something on the other side...after a minute or so of carefully navigating the nooks and crannies with his feet, he was on a bank with a few dead and shedding trees that overlooked a river. Not a pretty enough sight for anyone to want to picnic here, that was for sure. But it was perfect for him.

He sat on a stump and tore apart a dried leaf, then cracked a branch on his knee. That was better. Not only did it make a good noise, it hurt his knee. He threw the jagged piece as hard as he could, where it bounced off a tree trunk and into the river. The river went into the bay, and the bay went into the ocean, and the ocean water evaporated to make rain and snow that came down upon the mountains and into the streams and rivers that flowed into this river that flowed into the bay...

Everything fit. A place for everything except him. And that was just fine. Chris slid off the stump and rested his head on the edge. Maybe he could sleep and wake up in another year, another universe where things could be a hell of a lot better than they were. That was about the only thing he could hope for right now. The thought drifted away just as quickly as he did.

***

When Chris opened his lazy eyes a long time later, he could've sworn he'd dreamt about Mom calling for him- _Why would I be thinking about that?_ But as he sat up, he realized he wasn't completely dreaming. Someone was calling for him and coming toward this spot.

It didn't really surprise him anymore that someone turned out to be Tyler.

The kid wasn't exactly as adept to climbing as Chris was, he stumbled over awkwardly and panted out, "How long have you been here? Principal Dolman said I was..." gasp, breathe, "supposed to drive you the shelter, but I haven't...seen you since lunch."

"That's because I left at lunch," Chris said simply and tossed a pebble into the river. It could've been easy for him to add, _That's right, Mr. No-Good LaBelle skipped out because that's the role everyone's written for him. What d'you think of that, huh?_ But he didn't feel the need to. "Just how did you find me?"

Tyler kicked aside leaves and sat, finally catching his breath. "I've been here sometimes. I figured...pretty secluded from the rest of the park, right?"

_That was kinda the point._ He picked up another batch of dry leaves and started tearing them in his hands methodically. "You didn't have to come get me like I'm some...prisoner."

"I wouldn't call you a prisoner, Chris. You made a mistake, and now you have to make up for it."

"Have to. Pfft." He tossed the leaves into the river.

"...You're going to be in even worse trouble if you don't show up." The kid wasn't saying it to be moral; it was actually kinda sad.

Chris sighed, "I know," stood, and kicked leaves as well.

"Are you tired of seeing me? Is that why you skipped out?"

Blankness. That normally would've been the kind of needy question he would not dignify answering, no matter who it came from. But somehow he felt he felt he owed it to the kid on this one. "Nah, I just...ugh. It sounds pretty stupid."

"Just say it."

Chris took a deep breath before admitting, "I just wanted to hide out and avoid everything, alright? I know it doesn't solve anything and that's pretty much all I know, but it's what I wanted." Could Tyler possibly understand, someone who was even more alone? Or maybe that was too much to ask of the kid. He turned to look out at the river.

"Why do I have to be such a jerk?

The kid stood again, sighed, and looked out at the river as well. "I can't say I blame you." He laid a gentle hand on Chris' shoulder.

No flinching.

"Your family-"

"It's just my dad...not that he's around much," he slowly admitted, then turned to look Tyler in the eye. "C'mon man, don't pity me. I'm fine."

"Oh, sure you're fine. Shoplifting jewelry and getting caught is fine as paint."

Chris couldn't tell if the sarcasm was supposed to be funny, but he smiled anyway. "That was a slip. Really, I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

Tyler only lowered his gaze to his feet. "...That's what I used to tell myself."

"Hunh?"

The kid drew his arms away and shielded them around himself, retreating into the familiar shell that wandered the hall. For a moment Chris thought he wasn't gonna speak, but:

"It's been like that for me since...I dunno, grade six. It's when I thought, You know what, Tyler? This is how things are gonna be. You're different from everyone else and that's a blessing and a curse. You care about the good things in life when no one else does. No one in school will notice you, your family won't even bother to try; you're always gonna be lonely, so you'll have to learn to rely on yourself."

That was about the most Chris had ever heard the kid say before...and it hit him the hardest. Tyler felt that way _before they even hit high school?_ He didn't what was going on with his life- his family was even more distant apparently- but suddenly he felt incredibly guilty and sorry. What right did he have to complain? "Wow," was all he could mutter.

"It's not 'wow,' it sucks." Tyler lifted his head and Chris saw a silent tear roll down. "You think I like being alone all the time? Don't think I haven't tried to be social with the other kids, but every time I step outside my usual place, they practically throw stones! I'm not a jock, not a rebel, not in the band or theatre or student government...not a bully, not a rich snob, I don't do drugs, I don't sleep around..." He furiously wiped his eyes. "Where am I supposed to fit in at that school, huh?!"

"I don't know." And he really didn't, but that wasn't what struck him. It had to be the first time Chris- or anyone, for that matter- had seen the real Tyler. Someone who had high morals? Sure, but at least it'd keep him from ever being arrested. Someone who stayed in his own little world and got along better with animals than people? Yeah, but just like Tyler couldn't blame Chris for being the way he was, he really couldn't blame the kid either. It was a cruel world outside. At least animals don't judge you.

He may not have fit into those molds of robots that roamed the school, but there were other things Tyler wasn't. Not a freak, not a loser, just a lonely, sad, confused soul, a clumsy clown on the outside who didn't want anyone to see every fear and insecurity on the inside.

_He's just like me._

Tyler suddenly looked mortified and tried shielding his face, but Chris took a step forward. "It's OK, man." And it was; the barriers had broken down.

Because no one cries in front of their enemies.

One hug was enough to close all distances between them and say what neither of them could. Tyler gratefully accepted, resting his head on Chris' shoulder and sniffling for a minute or so until all tears were gone.

"If this gets back to anyone at school, you're toast," Chris said with the least amount of seriousness ever.

The kid chuckled, drew back, and dried his eyes. "You're _so_ not a jerk."

"...Thanks." And he meant it.

"Race you to the car," Tyler turned with a catch-me-if-you-can poise.

"Lead the way," and the two boys laughed as they dashed their way through the park, kicking up leaves and taking in the bright blue and gold of sunlight and sky.


End file.
